


Byerly's Leave-Taking

by ana



Category: Vorkosigan Saga - Lois McMaster Bujold
Genre: Betrayal, Family Drama, Love, POV First Person, POV Second Person, Shakespeare, Siblings, slander
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-12-20
Updated: 2012-12-20
Packaged: 2017-11-21 18:16:27
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 344
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/600709
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ana/pseuds/ana
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Byerly's backstory from CVA - Lois McMaster Bujold: Rish went on, “... got us onto the subject of his younger sister…It seems they were very close when they were teens—By fancied himself quite the brotherly protector. Till their father, as a result of some vile report he had from who-knows-where, accused By of molesting her. And went on believing it, despite the pair of them protesting to the rafters. By says he was more enraged at his father for swallowing the smear than he ever was at the anonymous clown who made it. Which was when he left school and came east to the capital. I’m not sure if you can disinherit your parents, but it seems that break was mutual.”</p>
            </blockquote>





	Byerly's Leave-Taking

Siblings so devoted to each other are an anomaly. So wrong of you to care for her. So wrong of you to want to keep her safe.

The twisted tale confirms all doubts; this venom is swallowed by the father and spat out as truth.  He pollutes the air and fouls his children.

But your silver tongue has abandoned you. Your anger, your disbelief - it renders your words unwieldy, impotent. 

The truth is dismissed. Her denials are dismissed.

You are dismissed.

Paralysed, you see him turn to you. You hear his voice over and over and over, exhausted, rasping, poison, ‘Filth.  You were never right.  Polluted.  I know what you are _._   Diseased.  You are not my son.’  

This cannot be unsaid.  Dreams are crushed. Hope has fled.

You cannot stop her tears, but she has faith, her stubborn theist faith; her solace, her salve and you will use it.  You will use anything to ease her path, so she will ease yours. 

Because you now have no choice; so you will commit this crime; a crime for which you will spend an eternity trying to atone:

You choose to abandon your sister to this God forsaken household.  

You cannot take her with you, you know you will never return, but you need her blessings to clear your way.

To set you free… 

 *

_Now my hopes are all o'erthrown,_

_And what strength I have's mine own;_

_Which is most faint; now 'tis true,_

_I must be here tethered to you,_

_Or flee forever. Let me not,_

_Since I have no father got,_

_Nor pardon'd the deceiver, grieve_

_In this bare household by your leave;_

_But forgive with generous heart,_

_My abandonment when we part,_

_Gentle breath of yours my sails_

_Must fill, or else my future fails,_

_Which rests with thee. Now I lack_

_Words to enforce, or to enact;_

_And my ending is despair,_

_Unless reliev'd by your prayer,_

_Which pierces so that it assaults_

_Mercy itself, and frees all faults._

_As you from crimes would pardon'd be,_

_Let your forgiveness set me free._

 

 

 

 *

**************************************************************************************************************************************************

**Author's Note:**

> [Ash in the Blood](http://archiveofourown.org/works/5954140/chapters/13686217)  
>  is a kind of sequel to this. 
> 
> ***  
> Yes, the speech was adapted from Prospero's Speech from The Tempest and okay no, I'm not a Shakespeare expert. I just like him :D
> 
> An adaptation of the speech sung by Loreena McKennitt:  
> [here](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NvmhnpLoTR0).  
> ***  
> This fic has been haunting me for a month so after umming and ahhing, endless internal debates over the use of one word over t'other and beta reads, I've decided to let it breathe cos it's stopping me concentrating on other things. (Turns out creatively multi-tasking isn't one of my fortes!)
> 
> Many thanks to Gwynne for her gut reaction. Thanks to Kay for vital beta reading and to John who gently suggested why I had to do the whole speech and not just half of it (which initially made me want to cry but he darn well had a point so I went back to it) and for suggesting the word 'hope'. A valuable word. The rest is all me including all the mucking about with the Bard's words, so if you have any gripes aim 'em here. 
> 
> Thanks to the Goddess Bujold for letting me mess about with her creations and for giving me sleepless nights and strange dreams. Hum.


End file.
